BAPTISM BY IMMERSION
There was a reason why Jesus, when baptised by John, was immersed into the water and then when He came back up out of the water the Dove came upon Him and God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". And Jesus said that He was going to be baptised in that manner "to fulfil all righteousness". It was because true Baptism is symbolic of the fact that we as Followers of Christ are to have our "old man of sin (transgressors of the Law of God) buried with Christ.
We are to be buried, with out old sinful ways into the watery grave, then to come out a new creature, walking in the Spirit. When you walk in the Spirit, you no longer fulfil the lusts of the flesh. The Bible says that the old "carnal mind" cannot keep the Law of God. But if you walk in the Spirit, then by faith, you obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and you begin to live a new life. in Christ. This is all done by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is why the Bible says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5
Now please read the passage here regarding true Baptism and what it symbolizes...
Romans Chapter 61 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin, that
grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve
sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from
sin.
8 Now if we be dead with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that
Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.